“I gotta tell Isaac.”
“Hmmm,” I said as I began carrying him toward Isaac. “Any chance you can forget that happened?”
Newt slowly shook his head. “No, ’cause I’ve got a big memory,” he said as he pointed at his head. He was wearing his soft-padded helmet, but I loved that he didn’t even seem to notice.
“Okay, what about a deal?” I asked. “What do you want for your silence?”
He thought about it for a long time.
Too long.
I saw the moment he came up with his evil plan because his eyes went bright and he grinned.
“Oh no, what? I don’t have to go near Jerry, do I?” I asked.
Newt shook his head. Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear. I was laughing by the time he was done.
“What are you two whispering about?” Isaac asked as he came up to me. He held his hand out to me and I immediately took it.
“Oh, nothing,” I murmured.
He eyed me suspiciously. “Okay, then. Aaron’s going to come over for dinner,” he said as he motioned to where Aaron was talking to Nolan, Sawyer, and Dallas.
“Good.”
“I thought we could invite Ford. Cam too, maybe.”
I eyed him. I’d told Isaac the day before about the weird friction between the good-looking sheriff and the troubled younger man. “Yeah, not sure that’s a good idea,” I said.
Isaac gave my hand a squeeze. “You and I didn’t seem like a good idea, either. And look at how well that turned out,” he said.
“Touché.”
Newt began wiggling in my arms as we neared Nolan and Dallas and I quickly put him down and watched as he ran up to my brother. He motioned them along with Sawyer down to his level, then began whispering in their ears. All three laughed as soon as he finished talking.
The little traitor.
“What is all that about?” Isaac asked.
Since I knew my secret was going to get out anyway, I pulled Isaac to a stop and then tugged him close enough so I could brush my mouth over his. “Are you wearing them today?” I asked.
Ever since Christmas, Isaac had taken to wearing his pretty underwear every day. He blushed prettily at my question.
Which was answer enough.
“Which ones?” I asked so only he could hear.
“Maddox,” he groused under his breath.
“Fine, just tell me the color. The rest can be a surprise for when we’re alone tonight.”
With that, his cheeks heated for a whole other reason. “The bright pink ones… with the white flowers.”
My dick immediately responded because those were a personal favorite of mine. Oh hell, who was I kidding. Anything the man wore on his person was a favorite. I kissed him softly, then called to Newt, “Newt, I know what color I want. Bright pink… with white polka dots!”
“Okay, Mad!” Newt called, then he was following the guys out of the courtroom.
Isaac laughed. “What was that all about?”
I took his hand in mine to lead him from the room. “Oh nothing, I just have an appointment at Newt’s Nifty Nails tonight, that’s all.”
Isaac pulled me to a stop and eyed me. “What did you do?” he asked.
I tugged him forward and wrapped my arms around him. “I got smart and fell in love with you, for starters,” I said, then I kissed him until we were both breathless and he completely forgot what we were talking about.
So did I, for that matter.
“Take me home, Maddox,” he murmured against my mouth. Then he pulled the dog tags out from beneath his shirt and began rubbing them between his fingers as he put his free hand in mine.
I pulled his hand up to my mouth for one final kiss and then did exactly that.
Epilogue
Isaac
Six months later
Okay, I’ll call you every day from the road. Make sure you do everything Dallas and Nolan and Grandpa tell you, okay?” I said.
“’Kay,” Newt said dutifully. He spit in his hand before I could stop him. “Spit on it.”
“Maddox,” I growled.
Maddox appeared from where he’d been putting our bags in the back of the SUV. He kissed my temple and said, “It’s Dallas’s fault.”
“Hey!” Dallas called in his raspy voice. He flipped Maddox the bird when Newt wasn’t looking. Nolan laughed and patted his fiancé’s stomach.
Newt was still waiting expectantly, so I spit on my hand and shook his. And immediately vowed to google alternative pact-making methods. After the shake, Newt threw his arms around me. I got down to his level and tugged him into my arms. He was wearing his helmet, so I kissed his cheek. “Be good,” I said as I put some distance between us so I could look him in the eye.
“I will,” he responded, then he put his arms around me for an extended squeeze. Loki’s big tongue lapped over both our faces and while I sputtered to get the doggie spit out of my mouth, Newt laughed and hugged Loki’s neck.